Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

Garlic Chicken Pasta with Spinach

From: My Kitchen Cafe

6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes
6 Tbs. olive oil
1 lb. boneless skinless chicken breasts
salt and pepper to taste
1 lb. penne pasta
1 5 oz. bag of baby spinach
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped or 1 Tbs. dried basil (I didn't have fresh, so I used the dried)
6 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Cook pasta in salted water until al dente. Reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water.

While pasta is cooking, combine garlic, pepper flakes and oil in a small microwave safe bowl and microwave until garlic is golden and fragrant, about 1 minute.

Pat chicken dry with paper towels and cut into bite sized pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer 1 Tbs. of the garlic/red pepper oil to a large skillet and heat over medium heat until oil is rippling. Add chicken and cook until well browned and cooked through. Transfer to a plate and tent with foil.

After draining pasta, making sure to reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking water, return pasta to the pot. Stir in chicken, spinach, basil, lemon juice, parmesan and remaining garlic mixture, adding reserved pasta water as needed. Season with salt and pepper.

Beef Stir Fry

Beef Stir Fry

From: Homecooking In Montana

1 lb. tri-tip, thinly sliced
2 tsp. fresh ginger, minced
2 tsp. cornstarch
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
salt & pepper to taste
1/4-1/3 cup olive oil fro stir frying
1 carrot, julienned
2 green onions, sliced
1/4 bell pepper, julienned (I used a lot more than this to make the meal go further and because we like a lot of veggies in our stir fry)
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, sliced
sesame seeds, optional
Stir fry sauce of your liking

Mix together ginger, cornstarch, rice vinegar, 2-3 cloves garlic, and salt and pepper. Add beef and let marinate for 20 or so minutes.

In a skillet, stir fry the mushrooms with a bit of salt and pepper in a tsp. of oil until most of the water is evaporated and the mushrooms are mostly dry. Set aside.

Clean skillet and add oil over medium-high heat. Add beef in batches, frying until golden brown and done. Set aside. Drain all of the oil except for 1 tsp. Stir fry all of the julienned veggies for a minute or so. You want the veggies to still have some bite to them. Return the meat and mushrooms to the pan. Stir fry for another minutes. Add stir fry sauce and cook until heated through. Serve over rice. Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

Roasted Asparagus

We love asparagus in our house and this was the perfect side dish.Roasted Asparagus

From: The back of my head ... lol

1 lb. Asparagus
olive oil
kosher salt
freshly ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut woody/tough parts of the asparagus off. Place asparagus on a foil lined baking sheet or on a cooling rack placed in a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, making surely to evenly coat. Roll asparagus over and drizzle with more oil if needed. Sprinkle with kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper. Place in oven for 12-15 minutes.

Pasta with Capers, Cranberries and Olives

This was super quick to whip up and was full of flavor. It was a great compliment for the homemade pasta, recipe coming soon.Pasta with Capers, Cranberries and Olives

From: Tres Jolie Studios

13 oz. dried spaghetti
1/3 cup olive oil
2 cloves, garlic, finely chopped
2 Tbs. capers, drained and rinsed
1 Tb. dried cranberries (This was one of the best components and I'll be at least doubling these next time)
12 kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
juice from 1/2 lemon
1/2 cup parsley chopped
salt and freshly ground black pepper
fresh parmesan cheese

Cook the spaghetti in salted water until al dente.

While the spaghetti is cooking, gently heat the oil in a small saucepan. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the capers, cranberries, olives and lemon juice and cook for another 30 seconds. When the pasta is cooked, drain and return to the warm pan. Add the caper mixture and parsley and toss well to coat. Add the freshly ground black pepper and parmesan; serve.

Iced Maple Cream with Berries

The berries makes or breaks this. Sweet summer love.Iced Maple Cream with berries

From: Tarah's Food Reviews

3 large egg yolks
3/4 cup chilled whipping cream, divided
1/3 cup pure maple syrup
1/4 tsp. maple extract
2 Tbs. raspberry jam
3 cups mixed berries, i.e. blackberries, raspberries, blueberries (I used frozen berried as fresh ones weren't in season yet when I originally made this.)

Whisk yolks, 1/4 cup cream and the syrup in a medium metal bowl. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does NOT touch the water. Whisk constantly until your candy thermometer reads 175 degrees, about 3 minutes. Remove the bowl from over the water. Using an electric mixer, beat the mixture until it is cool and thick, about 3 more minutes.

Whip remaining 1/2 cup cream and maple extract in a large bowl until soft peaks form. Fold whipped cream into yolk mixture. cover and freeze maple cream until firm, at least 6 hours.

Whisk jam in a medium bowl to loosen. Add berries and toss to coat and let stand 15 minutes. Spoon berry mixture into dishes and top with maple cream.

Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

Summer is here! Bring on the fresh fruit and home made ice cream!Strawberry Sour Cream Ice Cream

From: David Lebovitz

1 lb. fresh strawberries, cleaned, hulled, sliced
3/4 cup sugar
1 Tbs. vodka (I left this out and it was fine)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp. lemon juice

In a bowl, place the sliced strawberries, sugar and vodka and let them macerate for an hour, stirring them every once in a while.

In a food processor, pulse together the strawberries and their liquid with the sour cream, heavy cream and lemon juice. Process until it has just a few chunks but is mostly smooth. Freeze in your ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's directions. (I had put mine in the freezer for a few hours afterwords to let it firm up a bit more.)

Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

Wow. These are all kinds of good. I can now justify the fact that I like to eat cookies for breakfast because they are put into the form of a breakfast food. Oatmeal Cookie Pancakes

From: Joy the Baker

2 eggs
1 1/2 cups flour
heaping 1/2 cup old fashioned oats
2 Tbs. brown sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
lg. pinch nutmeg
2 cups buttermilk
1 Tbs. pure maple syrup
4 Tbs. butter, melted and cooled
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup golden raisins
oil or cooking spray for cooking

In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Add buttermilk, butter, maple syrup and vanilla; mix well. Add flour, oats, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, spices and salt. Mix well until mostly smooth. Fold in raisins and let batter set for a few minutes.

Heat pan over medium heat. Add oil to pan or spray with cooking spray. Poor 2 Tbs. of batter onto the pan. (I always use more than this because I like my pancakes to be bigger) Cook on the first side until buubles that form start to pop. Flip pancake and cook until golden brown. Repeat until all of your pancakes are done!

Kung Pao Style Chicken

I usually dishes that use ramen noodles but this was so yummy. I loved the little bit of spice and tons of flavor and great texture of the peanuts.Kung Pao Style Chicken

From: You Got Served

3 Tbs. vegetable oil
1 lb. chicken
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
1/2 cup roasted unsalted peanuts
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbs. fresh ginger, grated
1 tsp. red pepper flakes (1/4 tsp. if you don't like spice or for kids)- this is what I used
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
4 packages ramen noodles, discard seasoning packets
2 Tbs. hoisin sauce
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
2 tsp. toasted sesame oil
4 green onions, sliced thin

Season chicken with salt and pepper. heat 2 Tbs. of oil in a 12" nonstick skillet over high heat until just smoking. Add chicken and cook until done. Transfer to a clean bowl.

Add remaining Tbs. of oil to the skillet and return to medium-high heat. Add bell pepper and peanuts and cook until peppers are softened, 2-3 minutes. Transfer to a bowl with chicken.

Add garlic, ginger and red pepper flakes to the oil left in the skillet and return to medium-high heat until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in broth. Break bricks of the ramen into small chunks and add to the skillet. Bring to a simmer and cook, tossing ramen constantly with tongs to separate, until ramen is just tender but there is still liquid in the pan, about 2 minutes.

Stir in hoisin, vinegar, and sesame oil and continue to simmer until sauce is thickened, about 1 minute. Stir in chicken, peppers and peanuts. Sprinkle with green onions before serving.

Pineapple Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers

Pineapple Curry Glazed Chicken Skewers

From: The Noshery

2 chicken breasts
1 can coconut milk
1 can crushed pineapple, drained, reserve 1 Tbs.
1 Tbs. curry
1/4 cup honey
1/4 cup brown sugar
4 cloves garlic, minced, divided
1/4 cup red pepper, minced
1 Tbs. vanilla
1/4 cup cilantro, minced
1/2 a small onion, minced
12-14 small wooden skewers, soaked in water

Pinapple Curry Glaze

In a large bowl, combine the pineapple, honey, brown sugar, pineapple juice, curry, vanilla, red pepper and 2 cloves of minced garlic. Mix well to combine.

Heat a large skillet over medium high heat. Pour in the pineapple mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside.

Chicken

Pour the coconut milk into a large bowl. Cut chicken into 1" pieces and put into the coconut milk.

Heat a large skillet with 1 Tbs. of olive oil and saute the onions and 2 cloves of garlic until translucent. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the chicken from the bowl to the skillet. Cook until "browned". Remove the chicken from the skillet and place in a bowl, let it cool until it is able to be handled.

Preheat the broiler on normal. Prepare a broiling pan. (I didn't have a broiling pan so I just used a cookie sheet with a cooling rack set inside of it.) Skewer 4-5 pieces of chicken on each skewer. Coat the skewer with the pineapple glaze and place on the broiling pan, spoon remaining glaze over top of the skewers. Broil at normal heat until cooked through and browning, about 10 minutes. Keep an eye on it.

Serve warm and garnish with cilantro. (Next time I might try serving it over rice as there was plenty of glaze to spare.)

Prosciutto Dijon and Gruyere Puffs

These were absolutely to die for. We ate them as a main dish and just had some hearty side dishes. I can't wait to have these again.Prosciutto Dijon and Gruyere Puffs

From: Joy the Baker

1 package puff pastry dough, thawed.
8 slices prosciutto
3 Tbs. Dijon mustard, (I used a bit more since I divided the prosciutto and cheese between to pieces of puff pastry dough instead of only using one piece of dough)
1 cup gruyere cheese, grated (I used a bit more for the reason stated above)
flour for dusting
fresh ground black pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Once the puff pastry dough is thawed, unfold and lay on a floured work surface. If dough separates at the seam, simply use your fingers to press together. Dust flour on top of the pastry too. Using a rolling pin, roll dough to be about 11x9 inches. (Do this to both sheets of dough from the package)

Layer the prosciutto on top of the 2 sheets of puff pastry. Spread the mustard on top of the prosciutto. Top with the grated cheese and freshly ground black pepper.

Roll the right side of the dough in towards the center. Then roll the left side of the dough towards the center. Press together. The dough won't stick together, but if you brush away some of the flour it will stay together during baking.

With a sharp knife, slice the dough into 1/2" thick slices. Place on your parchment paper lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until it is a deep golden brown. Let cool on the pan for 5 minutes and then serve warm or room temperature. (We liked them best warm.)

Chicken Pasta Salad

I will hopefully slowly but surely be catching up on my food blogging. I have about 30 recipes in queue.

This one is a yummy quick summery meal. We absolutely loved it. And I apologize, but I can't remember where I got it from. Somewhere online I'm sure. Also I cut most of the ingredients in this recipe in half because it made a lot as it was, I didn't need enough to feed an army. The quantities below are what I used.Chicken Pasta Salad

From: Unknown


1 lb. bowtie pasta
1-2 chicken breasts
1 lg. can mandarin oranges
1 can sliced water chestnuts, diced
1 cup celery, diced
1-2 cups red grapes, cut in half
1 bag craisins
1/2 cup mayo (I subbed in 1/2 plain yogurt)
1 (13 oz.) bottle of Coleslaw dressing (I didn't use the whole thing, I just added it until it was wet enough without being runny).
3 green onions, sliced
1 (16 oz. can) pineapple tidbits, drained

Cook pasta, drain and run under cold water to cool. Cook chicken and cut into cubes. Combine all ingredients, adding the Coleslaw dressing last.